Thaw in by UltramarineQuest

2.Lily-bud
The fire in the Headmaster's office blazed emerald green, following the arrival of a short, portly man in a lime-green bowler hat.

'Good afternoon, Minister.'

'Afternoon, Albus.'

'Please have a seat. Would you care for a lemon-drop?'

'No, thank you. I'm here on an important mission today. A glass of oak-matured firewhisky would do for now.'

'Sure. Here you are.'

Dumbldedore waited with a look of pleasant expectancy on his face.

'Well, to say the least, I'm astounded,' said Fudge, heatedly. 'Harry Potter, Albus! How could you do this to the Wizarding World's saviour?'

'Do what, Cornelius?'

'Give him off to a bloody Death Eater! How could you?'

'Give him - ? Oh.' Suddenly Dumbledore's face sharpened, and he said in a calm, but cooler voice, 'And how exactly, may I ask, did you find about this....ah.....new development, Cornelius? It took place, if I recall correctly, just two hours back, during which time, Harry and Severus were left alone in Severus's quarters.'

'I have people! I - '

Fudge faltered at the look on Dumbledore's face.

'Ah,' he said, quietly. 'How clever. How did I forget? So it's even in the Daily Prophet now. Tell me, Cornelius, how many animal reporters have you got working for you as spies?'

'Spies!' spluttered Fudge, 'How dare you make such unfounded accusations - and so what if I have any? I'm the Minister of Magic, if you forget!'

'How can I forget?' said Dumbledore, mildly, extracting a beetle out of one of his silver instruments.'Ah, beetles. Lovely creatures.'

He put the beetle in a glass jar filled with weeds, making it buzz angrily at him.

Fudge suddenly looked bothered. 'Why are you putting it there? It will - it may choke! It - it is not a hospitable place for the beetle!'

Dumbledore looked at him in polite interest. 'Why, that's unexpectedly kind of you, Cornelius. I had no idea you cared for insects so much. But then, this insect is fascinating, truly.' And before Fudge could stop him,, he released the beetle and pointing his wand at it, said, 'Animagus Revelo!'

In the place of the beetle there now stood a scowling witch with an acid-green quill in her hand.

'Next time you want me, Minister, choose me to spy on less intelligent people than him!'

'Why, thank you very much, Rita!' said Dumbledore, gallantly. 'But I'm sure there are more people more intelligent than me than less.'

He saw her off to his fireplace, handing her a pinch of his own Floo Powder, and she disappeared in a swirl of flames.

'Now then,' said Dumbledore, suddenly businesslike, alarming Fudge all the more, 'Let's get to the point. What is your wish from me?'

That you resign this moment, said Fudge in his head, but spoke aloud, 'Well, I want custody of that Potter boy.'

'And you are resorting to wrong methods because you know you can't,' finished Dumbledore, gravely.

'I CAN!'

'Well, before we go to that issue, let us clarify another one. Do you or do you not wish Voldemort vanquished?'

Fudge flinched. 'I - of course I do, but -'

'Are you ready to accept that he wil rise again?'

'WHAT! He -'

'-will certinly rise again in a few years. When he does, will you join us in our fight against him?'

'I - I-'

'Answer me, Cornelius.'

Fudge gulped, mopped his sweaty forehead on his hankerchief and stared at Dumbledore, gaping like a fish out of water.

Taking advantage of his silence, Dumbledore said, 'You hesitate. But even before Voldemort was vanquished by Harry, a young man by the name of Severus Snape came to me and offered to - actually offered to do the thing that you, the honourary Minister of Magic, hesitate to do upon being asked. It was even more difficult for him seeing that he had been in Voldemort's service till then. He did what many among the brave ones do not dare to dream of - he became a spy for the side of the Light.'

Dumbledore paused, piercing Fudge with his brilliant blue eyes.

'Now - tell me Cornelius, whom should I trust more between you and Severus? Whom would you trust - a man who had once been in Voldemort's service, but is now firmly out of it, or one who is undecided as to which side he should take; the Dark or the Light?'

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Dumbledore said, calmly, 'I trust Severus with all my heart, Cornelius. And believe me, it is not for baseless reasons.'

Finding his tongue at last, Fudge said, 'You - you will continue to keep Potter with him?'

'Till he and Harry both refrain from trusting each other.'

'And that will be?'

'Always.'

I am the Minister of Magic, thought Fudge, as he Flooed to his office, but Dumbledore is the bloody Prime Minister of Magic, if such a post were there! Only a Prime Minister can dismiss a Minister as easily as Dumbledore dismissed me.

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Harry gazed all around himself as his new Daddy carried him to the dungeons. His body didn't hurt so much any more, and even his wounds didn't sting him a bit! The lady in the white dress had made him alright. And he knew that he was a wizard! He could do MAGIC!
The passage that he was being carried through was dark and a bit spooky, and Harry suddenly remembered what Aunt Petunia had said about dark places and what lived there...and his own cupboard. Clinging to his Daddy's shoulder a bit tighter, he wished the cupboard in which they kept him now was less dark and free of spiders.

Severus had been in a rare state of happiness when he walked out of Dumbledore's offfice. He had a child to look after - Lily's child! Lily.....how many memories the name brought..both painful and happy. And speaking of the child...

Severus glanced down at the messy-haired bundle in his arms. Deciding that he'd hold his first conversation with Harry in his quarters, he walked quicker to them. Setting Harry down very gently on his own bed, he summoned a chair, some pillows and called, 'Chloe!' There was a POP! and the House Elf materialised before him.

'Please bring a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of fruit-salad, a bowl of vegetable-stew and a glass of warm milk immediately.'

Chloe bowed and vanished.

Now Severus turned back to his ward, who was currently looking at the ground in rather a frightened manner. Cursing the Dursleys inwardly, he knelt down so that he was eye-level with the child.

'Harry,' he said, as gently as he could. 'Look at me, child.'

The liquid emerald eyes met his black ones, and he suppressed a severe bout of nostalgia.

'I'm not going to let anyone do anything to you,' he began, wondering whether the tiny four year-old would understand his sincerity and desperation. 'Ever. You're safe. You -'

Severus's next words did not enter Harry's ears, for they were already ringing with a single word - 'safe'. Safe......when had he last felt safe? He vaguely remembered a brightly-coloured room, laughter and voices of people...people whose voices seemed oddly familiar....

Severus realised that Harry was out of it. 'Earth to Harry!' he said, softly, as he snapped his fingers before the emerald eyes. Harry started violently, and then remembered that he was not with his Aunt and Uncle. Frowning, Severus tipped the small chin up so that he could have a guess at what, precisely, was upsetting the child at the moment to make him look so miserable. Seeing Severus frown, Harry hastily ducked his head between his knees.

'Sowwwy!' came a muffled whimper.

'Sorry? Harry, what - ?'

But before Severus could complete the sentence, Harry was already surrounded by a fortress of pillows and blankets, sobbing in fright.

'Please don't hurt me! I'll be good, honest! Sorry! Sorry! - '

'Harry -'

'-I didn' mean to ignoww you, it was only 'coz I 'membered something!'

'Harry!..'

'Don't send me back, don't, don't!'

'HARRY!' the shout effectively stunned Harry into silence. 'You do NOT need to apologize for daydreaming. And there's absolutely no QUESTION of sending you back. What did I just say, you silly child?'

'Th-that you won't let anyone do anything to me?'

'Quite. Now, how would I be maintaining that if I sent you back to those horrendous relatives of yours, knowing fully well that they would whip you, starve you, and abuse you brutally?'

'Ohhh........'

Harry was quiet for a while, wherein Chloe arrived with the food.

'Thank you Chloe.'

After she had gone, Severus beckoned to Harry to come near the food. Harry hastened to do so.

'Help yourself,' said Severus, handing the spoon and the bowl of spaghetti towards Harry.
Harry shifted closer uncertainly, picking up the spoon as if it were an inflammable substance.

Sighing, Severus scooped the child up into his lap and lifted a spoonful of spaghetti to his mouth.

'All that - that's for - me?' squeaked Harry.

'No, I brought it to decorate the walls,' said Severus, dryly, and Harry was so surprised that he let himself be fed. The man - his Daddy was joking! With him!

Very soon, the entire food was inside a certain tyke's tummy.

'Daddy?' the timid question startled Severus.

'Yes, son?'

'What's hor-denus?'

'You mean horrendous? It means horrible.'

Nodding, Harry soon felt himself dozing off, and was saved from toppling over by a pair of strong hands.

'Honestly,' grumbled Severus, to himself. Lifting the small frame into bed, he removed the spectacles, tucked Harry into bed and settled down into bed next to Ha-his son.

He was almost falling asleep when he heard a small voice mumble sleepily, 'Love you, Daddy.'

Severus felt as though his heart was roaring with happiness like a Gryffinder lion as he drifted off into sleep too. He was so happy that he temporarily even forgot his planned vengeance to the Dursleys. After all, it was because they had abused Harry that he now had him under his care. That was selfish, Severus knew, but he was far too sated and sleepy to invoke his conscience for the thought.

When he was certain that Harry was fast asleep, he whispered, 'Love you too, little Lily-bud.'